Hawkins: Palm Has Secret Third Business

In a recent interview in the Portland Business Jornal Palm founder and CTO Jeff Hawkins gives an interesting talk about the history of Palm and what he is currently working on. He states that Palm currently has three business, the PDA market, the smartphone business and a secretive third business involving the next major generation of mobile computing.

Jeff Hawkins: There is a third business that I've been working on but I'm not going to tell you what it is. It's in mobile computing. It's something different and it's in its early stage. We have three businesses at PalmOne. One you don't even know about, which is just a child. Another is the teenager and the other one is the mature 45-year-old.

Q: Can you give me a better idea about what this "child" technology is?

A: Not really. I'll give you a couple clues. I always think of mobile computing as personal computing. This long-term vision has led us through everything -- first the organizers and now through the smart phone space. It's like everything a personal computer is. Continue down that path. What are the implications of a world where everyone has a super high-speed Internet connection in their pocket and many gigabytes of storage, super-fast processors, audio, visual and multimedia? What are the consequences of that? How will that change computing when you have all that stuff available to you all the time? I try to think into the future. That's how we come up with new products. So I'm not going to tell you what it is, but it's following the consequences of mobile computing.

RE: Right....

Yes, there's something to that VOR. I've been debating along that line, but in a bit more radical sense in the article discussion at Brighthand on handhelds becoming laptop replacements (which I think is misguided even as a goal).

I won't waste the bandwidth reposting. Especially since the Hyper mods here (particularly in the PalmOne forum) seem apt to vaporize my posts this week anyway.

Anyway I'm with Jeff when it comes to leveraging the bandwidth in new directions with PDA's, but not where he goes into super fast CPU's, huge storage etc. Perhaps waaaaaaay, in the future. But it's not cost effective in a handheld in this decade (and Palm still plans on making some money this decade I'm hoping). Moreover, with that bandwidth and constant connection, you don't NEED lots of CPU horsepower and storage on the PDA. Let the battery life feed a large display and the wireless connection, and give the processing and storage to a more cost effective wirelessly tethered backend.

The Future

I believe Jeff's vision has been compelling, at least for me. His original Palm, the Handspring color Visor, and the Treo demonstrate a consistent march of functionality and re-visioning of ease-of-use with increasing functionality.

While I'm less sanguine about Palm's management approach, their product quality, or competitive urgency to ship a multi-tasking OS for their devices, I will be interested to see Jeff's vision in the marketplace. In the same way that Apple has been the R&D leader in innovation that others have copied, so the Palm has been the though leader that others have tried to copy but have not been able to replace. But the race is not always won by the most innovative.

Something not a Palm?

Well Jeff certainly knows how to give vague clues. The description he gives kind of sounds like the LifeDrive serious, but I doubt. If this "child" venture is a dramatically different as he alludes, it sounds like something that isn't a Palm at all. Could this be a totally different device category? Is Palm getting into the content business?

RE: my guess: the we-com virtual wallet

When building advanced industries we need/want to build/share value the old fashion way. A we-com industry shares the wealth from intellectual to commercial without leaving anyone behind.

Advanced equity works well with advanced economies offering jobs/purpose for many people that choose to help to build many choices enhanced by the we-com crew.

BIG ideas can not be owned by one as it is too BIG so we need/want to share the risk and benefit of good work. Perfection is a goal when building anything ... so too is the choice to include all that risked their thoughts.

Look forward to more new building too without compromising the choices of others.

A we-com industry will exchange/trade thoughts ... this is not new thinking. We must include the folks that that of an industry as a choice for excellent collaboration while keeping families’ whole.

RE: Numenta?

RE: Numenta?

chzhd saidWhat are you talking about? Please do not try to defend Gekko, in doing so you end up sounding as foolish as he does.

You want foolish?

There's nothing more foolish than you giving advice about complete, intelligent sentences whilst also making a single word post which, in your own words, is not remotely interesting to post.

So even if Gekko and I were foolish, there's nothing more foolish than your behaviour as someone who doesn't understand their own words and advice, so it comes as no surprise that you don't understand what others are talking about.

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

RE: Numenta?

Gekko's comment, unlike yours, was related to the subjects of the article, both the interviewee and the companies he has worked for or created. It was also a reference to Jeff Hawkins past action of selling Handspring to Palm/PalmOne.

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

RE: Numenta?

You seem to lack the intellectual capacity to address this issue in a rational manner. I find it admirable that you have jumped to Gekko's defense but am uncertain why you think it is necessary. Gekko, and other like him, have made this website a wasteland of meaningless comments. You may enjoy his endless negative banter, however, others have grown weary of him and his ridiculus comments. Like Gekko you resort to name calling, ("sanctimonious hypocrite"), rather than discussion. Perhaps that is the reason you have decided to defend him.

RE: Numenta?

chzhd said You seem to lack the intellectual capacity......his ridiculus comments etc...

On the issue of intellectual capacity, try raising yours to the level of at least spelling ridiculous correctly. If that's beyond you then at least go to www.dictionary.com or use a spell checker.

You tell Gekko to write in complete, intelligent, sentences and yet recently posted such inane sentences as What??? and I could'nt agree with you more! which have jack to do with anything, much less Palm handhelds or Palm OS.

Like Gekko you resort to name calling, ("sanctimonious hypocrite"), rather than discussionCall it what you will but you did give Gekko advice which you yourself ignore, i.e. behaviour which defines the action of a hypocrite. I posted evidence of what your statements were and you've not answered my allegation, so where's your part of the discussion?

It's all very well whining that others have 'lowered the tone' of this website but you are just as free as anyone else to make a comment here on Palm handhelds and Palm OS .

I jumped to Gekko's defence simply because unlike yourself, he made a light-hearted remark which was witty and relevant to those who know the history of Palm, Handspring and Jeff Hawkins.

As for name calling, you were the one to attack Gekko on his writing ability instead of contemplating the scenario he raised.

If you feel Palminfocenter needs fewer meaningless comments and more relevant statements, then you start with yourself and lead the way.

RE: Numenta?

Thank you for providing endless laughs throughout my office. We have had a great time reading your posts, setting you up for your next tirade and then waiting for your response. There is always someone that takes personally a post that has nothing to do with them. In reading your posts it seems as though you have spent a great deal of time thinking about a few posts that were not addressed to you. Most people have better things to do with their time.

Thanks for the laughs...

RE: Numenta?

chzhd said: Most people have better things to do with their timeThanks for the laughs...Maybe you need to share your laughs with your boss, your organisation and its clients. Do they know that you and your office waste the organisation's time by reading posts, setting people up for tirades and waiting for their response?

If you all work for PalmSource then it's no surprise that it's on the brink of collapse - you're all too busy spending time trolling PIC rather than concentrating on the little things like making sure the company you work for remains successful, is profitable and keeps you in employment.

I hope for your organisation's sake that all of you in the office have better things to do with their time. If you carry on with your behaviour then the results will soon show.

RE: Numenta?

Thank you for your concern, however, setting you up took almost no time at all. Also, since I am the boss, everyone involved was authorized to laugh at you. We pick on Gekko because he knows a few things, is mildly amusing and can handled himself. You, on the other hand, can not. Our apologies to you. Had we known that you were so overly emotional and lacking in so many areas, we would have dropped this long ago. This became somewhat boring a few posts ago so, thanks for the laughs, and good-bye.

RE: Numenta?

chzhd said Had we known that you were so overly emotional and lacking in so many areas, we would have dropped this long ago therefore you continued to post because you don't know whether I am or not!

chzhd said: Most people have better things to do with their time and This became somewhat boring a few posts agoso if you became bored a few posts ago and had something better to do with your time then why did you continue to post?

RE: Numenta?

Like I said, you are overly emotional. Gekko's comments aren't a concern even when they are directed at me. He is mildly amusing and knows a few things. You, on the other hand, are quite simplistic in both thought and word. You jumped into a conversation which did not pertain to you and, aside from posting links to a few of my posts using the chzhd username, have stated nothing of interest. We responded to you because we thought it would be funny. To your credit you have provided laughs ever since.

RE: Numenta?

chzhd said aside from posting links to a few of my posts using the chzhd username, have stated nothing of interestDon't flatter yourself, who said anything about your posts being interesting?

I thought you said you had a better things to do with your time? I thought you said goodbye? Yes I jumped into the conversation but this is a public forum, where anyone can join in, in the same way you made a comment about Gekko's post which had nothing to do with you.

Funny how you say I'm simple in thought and mind; I'm not the one contradicting myself in my own posts or maybe you're so simple that you don't even realise you're doing it?

You can say what you want about me but unlike you I can back up what I say with evidence to justify my position, which is what I've been doing by linking to your posts. Evidence that you make so many contradictory and irrelevant posts that frankly, very few people are likely to take your posts seriously and most will do their best to ignore them, after all, you ignore your own advice!

Carry on posting whatever you want about me for your cheap laughs, seeing such simple behaviour keeps you happy; you shouldn't suffer for lack of entertainment.

I and no doubt others are bored of this little spat and we shall carry on ignoring what you say, after all, even you ignore the advice in your own posts!

RE: Numenta?

ChiA said "seeing such simple behaviour keeps you happy; you shouldn't suffer for lack of entertainment"

Your correct, seeing your simple behaviour has kept us happy, however, the entertainment value is lacking. You must understand that there are multiple people responding to your posts. Our entire staff scans PIC througout the day and, since the office is signed in under a single user name, whoever happened to read your posts responded. Surely someone of your stature realized that long ago. We all assumed you realized we were playing you. It turns out that, in addition to your other fine qualities, you are also a detective gathering "evidence". That is way too funny!

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